New Jersey-2022-A1168-Amended

An Act establishing a community schools pilot program and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. As used in this act, "community schools" means ²[partnerships between public schools, nonprofit organizations, and local governments to provide an integrated focus on academics, health, and social services, youth and community development, expanded learning time and opportunities, actively engage families, and foster collaborative practices based on an individual community's identified need] ³[both a place and a set of partnerships between a school and other community resources whose integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement lead to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities²] public schools that participate in a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships, providing access to these services to students, families, and the community year-round³.

2. a. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a five-year "Community Schools Pilot Program" in the Department of Education. The objective of the pilot program shall be to facilitate the establishment of community schools ²that demonstrate a commitment to the four pillars of: integrated student supports; expanded learning time and opportunities; family and community engagement; and collaborative leadership and practice². Under the pilot program, any school district, renaissance school, or charter school shall be able to receive training ²and ongoing support throughout the duration of the pilot program² regarding the establishment ²and operation² of a community school, and ³[no more than]³ ¹[50 schools] one ²public school of a² school district, renaissance school, or charter school in each county of the State¹ shall be assigned a site coordinator who shall assist in the establishment and operations of a community school ²and oversee and coordinate the services and outreach to students and families².

b. No later than ²[three months]³[one month²] three months³ following the effective date of this act, the commissioner shall ³[issue a request for proposals to]³ identify ²an institution of higher education or² a qualified nonprofit organization ³with the appropriate capacity and experience³ located in the State ³[whose mission is to facilitate] that has demonstrated a commitment to facilitating³ high quality community schools in New Jersey to manage the pilot program. ³[²The commissioner shall select an organization or institution of higher education to manage the pilot program within one month of the closing of the request for proposals.²]³ Upon selecting an organization ²or institution of higher education² to manage the pilot program, the commissioner shall enter into a contract with that organization ³or institution³ specifying ²how State funds may be used and²its duties and responsibilities including, but not limited to, those identified in section 3 of this act.

c. ³[No later than ²[six] three² months following the effective date of this act, the commissioner shall survey school districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools to assess the extent to which community schools have been established. The survey shall obtain information including, but not limited to:

¹[1)] (1)¹ identifying school districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools that have established community schools;

¹[2)] (2)¹ listing the entities with which the community school has entered into a partnership for the provision of services; and

¹[3)] (3)¹ detailing services that are provided at the community schools.

The commissioner shall use the survey results to establish an inventory of community schools, which shall be updated annually ²and which shall be posted on the] The³ Department of Education ³shalldevelop a list of schools selected to participate in the pilot program, and shall post the list on the department's³ website in a prominent and easily accessible location².

3. a. The organization ²or institution of higher education²selected by the commissioner to manage the pilot program shall ²[make] establish a² technical assistance ²center that will be²available to ²[school districts, renaissance schools, and charter]² schools that are participating in the pilot program. The organization ²or institution of higher education² shall also make group training sessions and materials about community school operations accessible to any school district, renaissance school, or charter school that expresses an interest in developing a community school. ²The technical assistance center shall be responsible for the Statewide dissemination of information on effective and promising practices in the establishment and ongoing management of community school strategies through professional development and technical assistance activities designed to:

(1) familiarize school personnel across the State with community school strategies;

(2) increase the knowledge and skills of school staff and community partners to aid in the implementation, management, and sustainability of community schools;

(3) promote the establishment and development of community schools that incorporate the characteristics of community school strategies;

(4) provide community schools with the tools necessary to design and implement needs assessments that will provide the data necessary to effectively target community school resources;

(5) increase Statewide capacity to support effective community school strategies; and

(6) identify and evaluate community schools' needs in order to provide tailored technical assistance and professional development.²

b. ³[(1)]³ The ³department, in coordination with the³ organization ²or institution of higher education², ³[in coordination with the department]³ ²and the New Jersey Community Schools Coalition², shall develop ³[an application procedure and]³ specific criteria for selecting schools, including renaissance and charter schools, to participate in the pilot program and receive direct support from a site coordinator assigned to the school. The selection criteria shall be posted on the department's website ³[at least 20 days prior to ¹[each] the¹ application period]³. ¹[Schools shall be selected in three application periods by the department and the organization collaboratively. In each of the first and second application periods, no more than 15 schools shall be selected to receive a site coordinator. In the third application period, no more than 20 schools shall be selected to receive a site coordinator. The organization in collaboration with the department may increase the number of schools selected in a subsequent application period if the maximum number was not selected in a prior application period. In no event shall the cumulative number of schools selected to receive a site coordinator exceed 30 after the second application period, or 50 after the third application period.]¹

³[(2) In selecting schools to receive a site coordinator, lower priority may be given to a ²public school of a²school district, renaissance school, or charter school that is currently receiving federal funds to establish or operate a community school, or higher priority may be given to a school located in a school district that does not have any schools in which a site coordinator has been assigned.]³

c. The organization ²or institution of higher education² shall employ and train individuals who shall be assigned to serve as a site coordinator ³[in a school that has been selected to receive a site coordinator]³. Individuals selected to serve as site coordinators shall be employees of the organization ²or institution of higher education², and not the school district, renaissance school, or charter school to which they are assigned. ²The salaries, wages, and other financial compensation of the site coordinators shall be the responsibility of the organization or institution of higher education.²

d. ³A public school selected to participate in the pilot program shall enter into an agreement with the selected organization or institution of higher education outlining at minimum the role, responsibilities, and authority the site coordinator has in supporting the establishment of the community school site.

e.³ The organization ²or institution of higher education²may enter into an agreement with another nonprofit entity to assist it in fulfilling any of the responsibilities enumerated in subsections a. through c. of this section ², subject to the approval of the commissioner².

4. a. The commissioner shall annually ³[enter into a contract with an independent entity to perform] receive³ an audit of the ²[organization's]² accounts and financial transactions ²of the organization or institution of higher education for the duration of the pilot program². ³[The audit of the prior year's activities shall be completed no later than five months following the end of the ²[organization's] State² fiscal year. The audit shall be made available on the Department of Education's website.]³

b. The commissioner shall enter into a contract with an independent entity to conduct an evaluation of the pilot program. The entity shall have expertise in evaluating educational programs and the provision of a range of social services. The evaluator shall issue a final report on the implementation of the pilot program no later than six months ³[prior to] following³ the pilot program's completion. The commissioner shall forward the final report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).

5. There is established in the Department of Education a nonlapsing fund that shall be known as the Community Schools Pilot Program Fund. The fund shall consist of any funds that are appropriated by the Legislature for inclusion in the fund, investment earnings of the fund, and moneys contributed to the fund by private sources. The moneys in the fund ⁴[shall] may⁴ be invested and reinvested ⁴[by the Director of the Division of Investment in the Department of the Treasury] as other trust funds in the custody of the State in the manner provided by law⁴. Expenditures from the fund shall be exclusively for the purpose of implementing the provisions of this act.

6. This act shall take effect ³[immediately] one the first day of the fourth month following the date of enactment³.